Empowering Tribal Schools In Maharashtra

Dharagaon, a village in rural Maharashtra, has one of the most alarming sights that surely, represent the most of remote and tribal areas in Maharashtra and perhaps, the rest of India. Dominated by poverty, the living conditions of the tribal ‘adivasi’ community here are way below average.

A mother and her child in front of their home. Several people stay in just one such home leaving barely any room for an individual

Just about a 3-hour drive from Mumbai, one of the most developed cities of India, the livelihoods of the villagers are filled with the very social issues that several organizations out there are trying to mitigate. Dharagaon and several other surrounding villages, however, have been left untouched and there are absolutely no signs of development. The noble leaders and volunteers at Yuva Development are changing that.

Weak foundations of homes are visible here. These homes have a hard time withstanding the monsoons and often collapse

It’s ironic how even though most of the people here are farmers and feed several other people in big cities, they’re the ones who are probably going to sleep hungry every night. Being paid barely any money, the farmers, their children, and grandchildren are left to live in inhuman conditions throughout their lives.

Above: A child with no clothes on was roaming and playfully rolling around in the village dirt and finally went back to his homeBelow: A child resting against the only source of water in the entire village. This tap often runs out and the villagers have to travel great distances to get water from a river

Inhabitants don’t even have the luxury of drinking clean water. Living in dilapidated homes, many of which look like they’re going to collapse any second, the villagers are even troubled with the lack of sanitation facilities, limited electricity, basic footwear (especially for kids), just an odd pair or two of clothes to cover their bodies and the worst of all – lack of education.

A lady gathering some water from a muddy river which she would later on use for domestic purposes. The water is not clean and unhygienic.

Rugged feet of most children of Dharagaon tell a powerful story. Kids lack basic footwear in addition to several other basic necessities

This was addressed by installing a school more than a decade ago but there hasn’t been any development ever since. Struggling to get students into the school, teachers have spent valuable years of their lives just convincing these local communities to open up to education. Now, after all the hard work, these students spend just a few hours studying, but they do so in downtrodden and crumbling schools. But, the sad part is that there are still so many dropouts every year.

The only school in the village is a tiny building with run-down walls in extremely poor condition

On visiting these schools, Yuva Development founders Anurag and Nihal were appalled when the teachers, who had given up hope on getting help to address the aforementioned deplorable conditions, had just one request: To give the students a good and clean learning environment by repainting the schools.

The classroom

After seeking immediate help and painting one school, the positive reactions of the students and teachers motivated Yuva Development to paint more schools and make the school a beacon of positive energy in the village, a beacon of hope that there is a brighter future.

During the course of an entire weekend, April 7-8th 2018, the co-founders, Anurag and Nihal along with a few volunteers repainted another school in Dharagaon, through the help of the funds they raised online.

Dust and other particles from the surface of the wall, which are thrown off through the important step of scrubbing, are clearly visible here

The walls of these schools are downtrodden, lined with fungus and other debilitating catalysts. The walls, on the outside especially, need to be scrubbed thoroughly to remove such impure materials resting on the walls.

These walls are then systematically painted, with around 2 layers on the first day and the finishing touches and the good looks added on the other.

These trips do need to be funded because there are several things that need to be accounted for. Good quality and long-lasting rollers and paint brushes are thoroughly important.Buckets, transportation costs, extenders, food and housing for volunteers are vital too.

Fundraising Initiative

Through the excellent response of teachers and students, the set fundraising target would help Yuva Development create positive vibes by paint 5 additional schools in Dharagaon. These transformations not only ensure a clean, ecstatic, and conducive environment for the best of learning to happen but they also are a way to raise hopes for a brighter future, a future with improved living conditions of the villagers through the right education.

The school after finishing the initial two layers of painting on day 1 (above) and after completing the entire process on day 2 (below)

Soon the energetic youth of Yuva Development look to widen their impact and paint schools in several remote communities all over India.

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27th June 2018

Dear friends,

A quick update on the fundraiser front -- we have successfully painted two schools leading up to monsoon. Our next phase will continue right after the rains subside.

Until then, we have undertaken many other exciting projects in the villages. You can keep up-to-date with our work on Instagram @yuvaontheground. Once again, thank you for your immense generosity and support. it means the world to us.

Best regards,

Anurag

Dear friends,

A quick update on the fundraiser front -- we have successfully painted two schools leading up to monsoon. Our next phase will continue right after the rains subside.

Until then, we have undertaken many other exciting projects in the villages. You can keep up-to-date with our work on Instagram @yuvaontheground. Once again, thank you for your immense generosity and support. it means the world to us.

Best regards,

Anurag

23rd April 2018

Dearest Supporters,

I am happy to share that our most recent painting trip was a tremendous success. Over the course of two days and with the help of four volunteers, we painted another school in our beautiful colors. Please do check the below pictures.

Once again, I wish to reiterate that none of this would have been possible without your tremendous support, and the love shown to this campaign. We will keep you posted on our newest updates. I am also happy to share that the kind people at Milaap sent one of their employees on the trip with us-- to record and help promote our work. As a result, they will be enhancing our fundraising page shortly, and have opened up our deadline to allow for more donations. I would like to request you to share this campaign widely amongst your networks. As you can tell from the pictures, even the smallest contributions make a massive impact on the lives of these kids.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Love,

Anurag and Nihal

Dearest Supporters,

I am happy to share that our most recent painting trip was a tremendous success. Over the course of two days and with the help of four volunteers, we painted another school in our beautiful colors. Please do check the below pictures.

Once again, I wish to reiterate that none of this would have been possible without your tremendous support, and the love shown to this campaign. We will keep you posted on our newest updates. I am also happy to share that the kind people at Milaap sent one of their employees on the trip with us-- to record and help promote our work. As a result, they will be enhancing our fundraising page shortly, and have opened up our deadline to allow for more donations. I would like to request you to share this campaign widely amongst your networks. As you can tell from the pictures, even the smallest contributions make a massive impact on the lives of these kids.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Love,

Anurag and Nihal

3rd April 2018

Dear Supporters,

We are conducting the first of our painting trips this upcoming weekend. As a result, I was hoping to have the trip completed to then have a more detailed update/response with pictures on our page. However, we needed to withdraw the funds to be able to afford to make the trip happen. Hence I am withdrawing the funds.

Thank you for your love and support.

Dear Supporters,

We are conducting the first of our painting trips this upcoming weekend. As a result, I was hoping to have the trip completed to then have a more detailed update/response with pictures on our page. However, we needed to withdraw the funds to be able to afford to make the trip happen. Hence I am withdrawing the funds.

Supporters (37)

Good luck to this team. Was always passionate about making some difference in young children's lives through education (I believe schools are such powerful institutions, it has the power to shape the furure). Never got a chance, but this is my 2 cents towards this.

All supporters

Good luck to this team. Was always passionate about making some difference in young children's lives through education (I believe schools are such powerful institutions, it has the power to shape the furure). Never got a chance, but this is my 2 cents towards this.